Friday, January 13, 2012

Finally. A good review in VOYA.

Finally. I wrote something that got a good review in VOYA. Kerry's story, "Mars at Night," is the one I wrote. So glad I AM working on that novel!

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VOYA (Voice of Youth Activates)

Review

1/1/2012

"In
this collection of six vignettes, readers experience both the male and
female perspective of affairs that are challenging, life-changing, or
seemingly inexplicable.
Bobby Wildcat bemoans his short stature and the bullying he endures in
his close-knit tribal community. Then, without warning, he finds himself
drawn to Nancy Whitepath, the town’s large and successful basketball
talent. Bobby’s insecurities often lead him
to misinterpret how Nancy is responding to him. In “Want to Meet,” Max
plans to meet his online crush, only to be shocked that Alex is a girl
(“Alex, it was a gay chat room, okay?”). Alex’s reasons for starting a
relationship online are just as complex as
Max’s. “The Mouths of the Ganges” and ”Mars At Night” look at the
challenges that Kerry and Rafi experience in their relationship. He is
Bengali, from a devout Muslim family, while she has grown up on an Iowan
farm and lives with constant disapproval and
guilt trips from her grandmother. Their relationship is only one of
the many issues they face, including the post-9/11 prejudice Rafi
endures and the potential destruction of Kerry’s farming way of life.

These short stories are collected in the same “he said/she said” format made popular by books such as Cohn and Levithan’s Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
(Knopf, 2006/VOYA April 2006)and Barkley and Hepler’s Scrambled Eggs at Midnight (Speak, 2007/VOYA
August 2006). For some of the stories, there simply is not enough
development for the reader to cultivate firm opinions about
characters, their motives, or their situations. Some of the breakout
stories, such as Rafi and Kerry’s tale, beg for a home in their own
novel. With its proliferation of romance and hormonally-charged
electricity, this book should be an easy sell to readers
who like escaping in lighter contemporary relationship stories."- VOYA

"He
thought …, but to her it seemed… As long as there have been two sexes,
there have been two views of each relationship. This collection of
stories by proven YA authors
explores this dilemma through the novel device of dual accounts by two
writers, one male and one female. In Chris Crutcher’s “Love or
Something Like It,” uber-handsome John Smith enlists school “bad girl”
Wanda to help him understand women, while Kelly Milner
Hall’s “Some Things Never Change” explores Wanda’s preemptive-strike
attitude toward men. In other stories, a Native American star at
women’s basketball begins to see possibilities in a shrimpy, artistic
schoolmate; Alexis helps her lonely, gay, on-line buddy
Max find a possible relationship; an African-American girl and a white
admirer connect in sex ed class; and a Muslim boy falls for an Iowa hog
farmer’s daughter and uncovers a shocking political deception. The
final story departs from the format to present
a jointly-narrated account of transsexual Stephen’s (nee Stephanie’s)
decision to accept an overture from an unsuspecting childhood friend.

This
diverse collection will appeal to a broader readership than many
short-story anthologies, due to its innovative format and universal
theme. Some stories are naturally
stronger than others: “Mouths of the Ganges,” by Terry Davis, for
example, breaks new ground, while its partner, “Mars at Night,” by
Rebecca Fjelland Davis, is more conventional. Casual profanity and
frequent references to sex (more thoughts than action)
will not surprise YA librarians. This is a strong choice for older
teen readers."-
VOYA

A little YouTube video about me

Junior Library Guild Selection!

Junior Library Guild Selection

Chasing AllieCat Book Trailer

About Me

"Chasing AllieCat"-- 2011 from FLUX Books. Named a Junior Library Guild selection for 2011.
"Mars at Night" in "Girl Meets Boy" anthology, Chronicle, 2012.
My first book published is
Jake Riley: Irreparably Damaged.
I also have nine children's books published by Coughlan Company, the latest being "Woof and Wag: Bringing Home a Dog." Check my website for details.
rebeccafjellanddavis.com
If I'm not writing or reading or hanging out with family or friends--or with my dog!--, I want to be on my bike! My passions: stories, biking, my family,and dogs.

Girl Meets Boy

My story, "Mars at Night" appears in this anthology--from Chronicle, January 2012

Biking!

My novel "Chasing AllieCat" is available in bookstores and online, and in Kindle and Nook. Three mountain-biking teens find an almost-dead body in the woods. All hell breaks loose. One reviewer said "Steig Larsson meets Judy Blume."

Schedule of upcoming and recent events

I'm having so much trouble with my website, that I'm going to update an author schedule here.

April 21:The LOFT, Minneapolis; Second Story Reading Series, with A.S. King, 2 p.m.

April 13:Mapleton Middle SchoolMarch 21:South Central College, Conf. Center B., 12-1, with Terry Davis; Girl Meets Boy: Because There are Two Sides to Every Story.March 20:Barnes and Noble, Mankato, 7 p.m. with Terry Davis; Girl Meets Boy: Because There are Two Sides to Every Story.

January 5:Keynote speaker at the SW/WC Service Cooperative's 20th Annual Conference for Young Writers in Marshall, MN.

Saturday, December 17: Signing books at the Enchanted Forest, North Riverfront, Mankato.

Sunday, December 4: Signing Chasing AllieCat at the Village Bookstore 12-2

Tuesday, Nov. 22-Wednesday Nov. 23: On the Iron Range, with Mary Schnell, visiting her book club, and the morning show on KAXE Radio, the Village Bookstore, and Itasca Trail Sports Bike/Ski shop in Grand Rapids. Fun!